People Are Challenging Themselves to Go Plastic-Free for a Week

How much plastic do you use? If you try making a list of all the plastic you have used or purchased this week, it might surprise you. Eventually, all of this plastic will (probably) end up in the trash and could cause harm to our environment. Following the recent news stories, as well as David Attenborough’s plea to the human race to cut down on plastic, it seems as though people are beginning to listen and are becoming more conscious of how much plastic they use. But, could you go plastic-free?

More and more people are challenging themselves to go plastic-free for one week, which means they won't buy anything that is made of or contains plastic. This is surprisingly difficult when you consider how many products come in plastic containers. It is even thought that fish contain micro particles of plastic, due to the amount of plastic polluting our oceans.

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However, there are some simple changes you can make to cut down on the plastic you use. Try trading out your plastic grocery bags for reusable canvas bags. When it comes to food, eggs are about the only thing that aren’t packaged in plastic. Bread, meat, and milk are mostly all packaged in plastic.

Currently, there aren’t many ways to get around this. The U.K. government, however, is talking about creating plastic-free aisles in supermarkets, where all the food will be packed in non-plastic packaging. It is presumed that meat would have to be contained in foil wrapping and bread would be stored in paper bags.

Iceland Plan to Ban Plastic

The supermarket chain Iceland has vowed that by 2023, they will have eliminated, or drastically reduced, the plastic packaging of their own products.

Currently, it is very hard to even comprehend how you would shop for groceries without purchasing any plastic-packaged products. Iceland also plans to swap plastic packaging for paper trays. Paper is currently used for items such as egg cartons, but Iceland is making plans for this type of packaging to be used on other foods.

One of the most toxic plastics is actually used for the black plastic trays that package ready-made meals, which Iceland hopes to switch for a more sustainable material. Another simple swap to reduce plastic waste would be to store fruit and vegetables in string bags, similar to the ones that hold oranges.

Why not challenge yourself to buying plastic-free products on your next grocery haul?

This post was written by Yours editors. For more, check out our sister siteYours.